HELP PLEASE: Childcare Grants/Childcare Tax for PhD students

[Mithriltari]

Hiya, I am new here.
I am almost 5 months pg with my first baby and in the middle of my PhD (Env. Organic Geochemistry).
I have been looking around for daycare centres in my area and most of them have a very long waiting list (14 months)and demand that I get a Childcare grant to help towards the childcare fees, otherwise it would be the full fee in spite of me being a student. I have a leaflet sent to me by post from the Students Loan Company, but I have the feeling this sort of help applies only to undergrads? Anyone on the same spot? I would really appreciate some guidance here. I cannot get working tax credit bec only my dh works, and I wonder if we could then get child tax credit and childcare grants? I am daunted by the daycare centre prices...
Have a nice day ladies,

Mithriltari

I'm sorry I can't be of much help here, I spent the first half of my MA pregnant and the rest with a baby and, as you, couldn't find any childcare support. My university's student union & graduate association provide a subsidy but it really doesn't make a significant difference to the childcare prices (it only covered for a very few hours per month).

You could get some childcare relief if you both are working for more than 16 hrs per week. Otherwise... I couldn't find anything.

However, I knew many people who successfully finished their PhD's taking care of a child and without any extra financial help. It was not easy but it was possible, I did most of my work while my baby was sleeping, however you have to consider being more flexible about time and that extansions are not really bad at all.

Best of luck.

Hi Chandra,

Thanks for your kind reply. I am not employed so that rules out any help coming that way. And given the experimental natura of my PhD (mostly laboratory work) I really need someone to look after my baby whilst I am in the lab. I will go to the Uni now and enquire in my school if they have some sort of bursaries...BUt as you said, even if I cannot get any financial help, we will find a way out. What is most important to me is my baby...

Thanks

Mith

Mithriltari
does your university not have a nursery, i know of many that do, and generally they give priority to student's babies, and offer subsidised places. You will be able to find a childminder who will have your baby, even if the daycare centres are full, and often they will be considerably cheaper.
Good luck - it will be hard work finishing your PhD with a baby, may well be worth asking for a a years suspension.

Mithriltari, does your lab has 24hrs access? If it does the following may work:

-Concentrate in the baby COMPLETELY for the first 3-6m

• Once baby has fallen into routine, be with him/her all day, have a nap when baby naps (don't even try to work as it may get you over tired for the night), and as soon as your DH is back from work or you have put baby to sleep for the night, leave him with your husband and head to the lab.

The way we did it was more or less the same. We paid for 2-3 nursery sessions which allowed me to attend classes and do research that I couldn't do out of hours, and the days DS was not going to the nursery, I would just hand him over to DH as soon as he returned from work and went to study for 7-8 hrs into the night. He also woke up with baby in the days I was working late. Bonus point is that the father-baby bonding will get very strong, and you will end up with a husband who can easily cope with child care

Hi Chandra,

My uni has 2 nursery-places, one wants me to have a childcare grant or I pay full fees. The other one has a waiting list of at least 14 months. I have put my name down on that one as the student fees are very cheap. Let us hope they have a place for me within a year's time.

My lab has 24 hrs access. I supposse I could try that working 5 hours in the evening once the baby does not need feeding so often. Hubby cannot wake at night bec he commutes 2 hrs there and 2 hrs back to work everyday, having to get up very early. Plus, he takes his hearing aids off to sleep, which makes him pretty deaf to anything. But I figured I can work at least 4-5 hrs at night after 6 months looking after my little sweetling full-time.
I will work on the weekends as well and DH will look after the baby, we already decided that. He is very supportive.
Thank you ladies for your useful insights and advice. Most appreciated. Kisses to your little ones.
Mith and elfling

I'm also looking at childcare support. Particularly the new (Sept 2017) 30 hours free care for parents both working 16 hours.

It's really frustrating that the stipend doesn't count as earnings. My family meet the requirements if my stipend was counted as a wage. Including stipends in the eligibility would makes sense (at least to me as someone outside of a government office...).

I'm contacting my MP, NUS and other groups who could raise this novel but crippling limit for 'working' students that are missed by all the support currently on offer. If anyone else is frustrated it would be great to contact your uni equalities teams, MP and funders to highlight the gap in the system.